Having spent the last four years deeply involved in the renewable energy movement, I've become more sensitive to the issue that although nearly everyone is in favor of moving ahead with clean renewable energies, very, very, VERY few people move the conversation forward, and therein lies a huge part of the problem. THEY NEVER GET OFF OF FIRST BASE!

There is already a huge renewable energy industry in this country. Remarkably, you will find implementation huddled around the obvious locations of CA, FL, TX, NM and AZ for solar and ND, SD, MN, IA, KS, OK, and TX for wind. More remarkable, independent locals of WI, NJ, NC, CO and OR stand out in an otherwise vast wasteland of non-implementation. Why is that?

The answer is simple: The people in those locations "Did Something". They stood up, took the initiative, and did something! In large part, these unique pockets of development (as well as most, if not all) of the mentioned obvious locales, all led their efforts by organizing and passing the necessary state legislation which paved the road for the necessary economic, zoning and utility rights modifications necessary for any large-scale renewable distributed energy implementation.

A few more states are working on that legislation again this year. The most productive form of the possible legislation is what is known as "Feed-In Tariff" legislation. (For a very good description of what a Feed-In Tariff is all about, you can either google that term or visit our website [greenenergycafe.com]). The Feed-In Tariff is the ONLY proven legislation to actually move solar and wind implementation forward on a sustainable basis. It is what moved Germany (and now nearly all of Europe and Asia) into the forefront of renewable energy use.

So why hasn't the US utilized Feed-In Tariffs? It's simple. For those of us who have participated in and sat in on state energy committee meetings, we know it is the well-funded special interests who oppose any change away from the existing fossil fuel methods we currently are forced to purchase. You can guess who those special interests are. (You get a bill from them every month....) Ironic, isn't it? They produce television and radio ads telling us how they are moving to clean green energy; yet, they lobby against legislation which would bring clean, renewable distributed energy to millions of homes, businesses, schools, hotels, hospitals and public buildings.

The challenge we face is to take the next step. My goal is to motivate you to take your efforts to the next level. If you have been hearing about renewable energy, and have yet to take a few hours to get a better understanding of how well it works, DO THAT TODAY. If you have already taken the time to understand solar and wind, please organize and find a state Senator or Representative to author a Feed-In Tariff Bill in your state. Make some calls. If you need copies of Bills from other states and nations, we have those for you. If you need information to answer the hard questions, we have that for you. If you really want to see renewable distributed energy become a reality in your state, we can help you. If you need speakers to appear before your meetings, we have those also. If you need reports, we have those.

It's really up to you and me. Our legislators respond to the demands of their VOTERS. They know they have their jobs because more people voted for them than someone else. They also know they need good causes to get behind and move forward; good causes that benefit their constituents and the People of their state as a whole.

We're doing our part. Are you doing yours? Is this important to you? Can you do more? Will you do more?

It's not going to happen in your state if you don't do something more than what you are doing now. It doesn't take but a few hours a week. A real benefit is that it gets you in contact with others who share your interests and wants in moving renewable energy forward. There's fewer things today that one can get involved in and go home with a sense of "I'm part of a GOOD effort", and "I did some GOOD for my community today". This can be one of those opportunities for you.